San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Founding of the Mission and Origin of Name

By Kathy Walker, July 14, 2007

1. Founding of the Mission and the Origin of Name Marker

Inscription. The San Antonio de Padua Mission was founded in San Antonio in 1716 by the Franciscan Father, Antonio Olivares, and after merging with the San Francisco Solano Mission in 1718, it was officially founded as the San Antonio de Valero Mission. The present site was selected in 1724. It was named in honor of Saint Anthony de Padua and the Duke of Valero, a Spanish Viceroy. The cornerstone of this chapel was laid May 8, 1744. Founded for the purpose of Christianizing and educating the Indians, it later became a fortress and was the scene of many conflicts prior to the immortal siege of 1836. Its activity as a mission began to wane after 1765 and it was abandoned in 1793 and the Mission archives were removed to San Fernando, the parish church.

During Mexico’s war for independence from Spain, a company of Spanish soldiers from Alamo del Parras, Coahuila, Mexico, occupied the abandoned mission, using its buildings as barracks for a number of years. From this association probably originated the name, “Alamo.”

According to some historians, the name “Alamo” was derived from a grove of cottonwood trees growing on the banks of the Acequia, “Alamo” being the Spanish word for cottonwood.

Location. 29° 25.545′ N, 98° 29.191′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. Marker can be reached from Alamo Plaza. Click for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio TX 78205, United States of America.

Credits. This page originally submitted on , by Kathy Walker of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,821 times since then and 210 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on , by Kathy Walker of Stafford, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016.